Ballot

In the United Kingdom, the term “ballot” can refer to two things. A ballot can either refer to an election within an organisation, or the paper on which a secret vote is made (more commonly called a “ballot paper”). In parliamentary elections in the UK, the ballot papers are pre-printed to protect the secrecy of the votes – each person uses one ballot (paper). The ballot is then folded and put into a locked container known as the “ballot box” through a narrow slot at the top. The ballot box cannot be opened until voting has ended.